Dignity Dreams

“Girls’ education is the single best investment that any society can make.” – Carol Bellamy.

In Africa, the decision whether to buy a loaf of bread to satiate a grumbling stomach or a sanitary pad to manage a young girl’s period is commonly made amongst households struggling to survive. More often than not, the stomach wins.

In our more immediate community, a recent study of the Kya Sands Informal Settlement indicates that of the 5525 dwellings of which the minimum average is four people per dwelling, 70% of the women are unemployed, 60% of whom are single parents, meaning they cannot support their families.

Not only do the community not have access to nearby clinics for primary health care education, but the monthly cost of sanitary pads is also just too high, and the girls and women end up using newspaper, old rags or anything else available which often leads to infection.

In many cases, girls who start their menstrual cycles have no idea of what is happening, and instead of embracing their womanhood, they are often left frightened and feel a sense of shame.

Hot Cares has identified about 100 young women in the Kya Sands informal settlement to reach out to.

After having researched many options regarding cost-effective, sustainable menstrual health solutions for these ladies, Hot Cares found Dignity Dreams to be the ideal solution. Dignity Dreams manufacture and distribute sustainable, eco-friendly, washable pads to young girls and women. Each pack contains 6 washable pads, and one pad is equivalent to 144 disposable pads over the 48 month period they last.

Hot Cares has arranged a menstrual health care talk in the vernacular language of the ladies in the community. Each young lady will receive a lovely bag containing six washable pads (equivalent to 4 years of sanitary pads), Zip Lock Bag, Multi-Lingual Instruction sheet and some toiletries; giving them a completely sustainable solution to their monthly challenge for a total value of R16 000.

Hot Cares – Making a Meaningful Difference in the Lives of Those Around Us.